The Sun Goes Down, The Stars Come Out
by random4ever
Summary: These are some snapshots of the marauders, year by year in chronological order. It will be focusing on Remus and Sirius, though I will try to be at least a little bit original in ideas. The chapters get longer as they go on. Rated: T. Warnings: SLASH.


**Pairings: Remus/ Sirius, with a side of James/ Lily**

**Warnings: Slash**

**Rating: T**

**Words: about 1,500**

**Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and neither are the song lyrics that make up the title of this fic. They belong to J.K. Rowling and The Wanted respectively.**

**RE-UPLOADED March 23, 2012 (because I added a lot of stuff, and because there were only two chapters I decided to just start over.)**

**Now, without further ado... The Sun Goes Down, The Stars Come Out!**

**-First-Year-**

It was an ordinary day for most. Hurry to work, do work, hurry from work- the usual. To everyone, that is, except for the people who happened to be at King's Cross Station at a very early hour on the thirty-first of August. They, strangely, had a very _un_-ordinary morning, though exactly why most couldn't quite think of.

It was rather busier than usual, crowded with students and their parents. At first glance it would seem as if it was just a boarding school preparing to leave for the semester. However, if one looked closely one could notice that the clothes these people wore were a bit peculiar, and the luggage they carried was of an even stranger sort. Many of the people passing by would also wonder what train they were leaving on. You see, while all of these odd folk were converging around platforms nine and ten, there were no trains leaving from either of them until much later in the morning.

.o0O0o.

A small boy with a pale complexion and light-brown hair was sitting alone in a compartment. Quite unremarkable in fact, if it weren't for his shabby robes, and the animal-like way he held himself. He was fixedly staring out onto platform 9 3/4, and judging by the nervousness betrayed on his face it was not hard to assume he was a first-year. It was a bit odd of course, that his parents weren't there with him to see him off. It was his probably his first time away from home after all.

When the bright red train started to move the boy stood up and reached for his bag. When he sat back down he was not holding what a normal, bored boy would be holding. He was, instead, grasping a thick book. He quickly became engrossed, and was consequently quite startled by the voice of another first year.

"Excuse me. May I sit here?"

The second first-year to enter the compartment was a pudgy boy, with blond hair and small eyes. He was holding a trunk and breathing slightly heavily from dragging it behind him. He still had a hand on the compartment door and seemed to be getting increasingly edgy as he waited for a response. Finally the first boy replied, hesitantly.

"Sure. Of course."

The pudgy boy seemed to sag in relief and grinned as he walked in- still dragging the trunk. The door slid shut behind him and he stuck out his hand.

"The name's Peter. Peter Pettigrew. I'm a first year."

The shabby-robed boy looked at it, as if he'd never shaken someone's hand before. He took it experimentally and shook it.

"R- Remus Lupin. Pleased to meet you."

.o0O0o.

It was about a half an hour later when the door to the compartment opened up again, and two black-haired boys tumbled into the compartment laughing breathlessly. Remus and Peter both looked up in surprise, as they had been tentatively exchanging small talk with each other.

The boy with messy black hair and glasses spoke first, to his friend surprisingly, rather than the previous occupants. "We got them good Siri! Their faces!" The boy had a rounded face and hazel eyes, and Remus couldn't help but notice that he held an air of insurmountable confidence.

"Priceless!" 'Siri' responded. "Oh, I do hope we both end up in Gryffindor." The second boy also had black hair, yet his was immaculate. He had an aristocratic flair about him, and Remus couldn't help but notice that the buttons on his robes were silver. He started trying to subtly move away when the first boy seemed to realize that they weren't alone.

"Pardon us. This here is Sirius Black." He casually slung an arm around Sirius and flashed a smile. Remus shifted uneasily again, for he had never had such close contact with another boy his age before, and he didn't quite know how to hold himself in such a situation.

"And the prat next to me is James Potter. May we sit here?" Sirius easily finished James' sentence and it seemed as if they had been friends for a long time before today.

Peter responded before Remus could. "Yeah, if you want."

"Of course we want." James responded, and flung himself down next to Peter. They quickly picked up a conversation that mainly involved James talking and Peter listening as Sirius sat down next to Remus. Thankfully, he had a sense for personal space unlike his friend, and he didn't get any of the painful metal near Remus.

"What's your name?" Sirius asked quietly. Remus stared into his gray eyes as he listened to Sirius' London accent. Despite his fear of the boy's sudden presence, and the buttons on his robes, he summoned up the courage to respond timidly.

"Remus Lupin."

.o0O0o.

Remus tiredly raised the strap of his book-bag over his head and fixed his robes. He took a look in the full sized mirror next to the bathroom door as he passed it and glanced in disgust at his complexion. He was deathly pale, and that made the scars on his face stand out. He had dark bruises under his eyes, and his hair was limp. He grunted as he opened the door, and took a minute at the top of the stairs to compose him self. He took a deep breath as he took the first step and pressed his mouth into a thin line to keep from whimpering at the pain it brought him to walk normally.

He thought he was home free when he heard Sirius call his name from behind him. Remus groaned inwardly as he schooled his features and turned around.

"Hey, Remus, where are you going?" Sirius noted with concern the sickly demeanor of his friend.

"I- I need to go visit my mum. She- She's ill."

"That's too bad. What does she have? This is the third time you're going. Can't she just go to St. Mungo's and have them look at her?"

Remus sighed and shifted his weight. He was exhausted from standing already. "It's a Muggle illness Siri. I'm half-blood, remember?"

Sirius looked at Remus mournfully. "Better than being 'pureblooded' if you ask me. My mum and dad they're- you won't tell anyone will you?" Sirius was looking down, evading the lycanthrope's gaze, yet it seemed as if he really needed to get this out. The smaller boy settled on a truthful answer, because honestly, his first real friend looked like he needed some sincerity in his life.

"I'm a- I'm a good secret keeper." he responded.

"They're cousins. My mom and dad are second cousins. And if- if I don't get disowned or something first I'll have an arranged marriage as well. The girl's from a wealthy pureblood family in France- it's mainly just disheartening that I won't ever really have a choice in the matter."

Remus closed his jaw, and tried to come up with words to console his friend. "I'm sorry Sirius," came the eventual reply, yet it seemed as if these words did not justify the importance of the conversation.

Sirius gave a wry smile and stood up, presumably to go to the boy's dormitories. "It's fine. The girl is nice, and not half bad looking. She's just not really my type, I guess. Give your mum my well-wishing's will you?"

Remus turned towards the door. "I'll tell her." While he felt as if he needed to do more for his friend, the ache in his bones told him that he had better get moving or else face the consequences.

.o0O0o.

"Are you okay Remus?" Sirius asked. "You look a bit peaky. Is something wrong?"

Remus cringed. If Sirius would continue to question me thoroughly every time he left he knew with certainty that the game would be over before he'd ever really started playing. "No, nothing's wrong Sirius. I'm just worried about my mum is all. She's not doing that great. Dumbledore said I could visit again soon." Remus prayed that his companion wouldn't hear the slight waver in his voice brought on by fatigue. He seemed to be leaving it at just that for once though, and Remus was grateful as he realized he wouldn't have to lie through his teeth yet again.

"Sorry to hear that." Was Sirius' only reply, as he turned back to the thick, old textbook he was holding, with unusual frown lines between his eyes as he reread his page.


End file.
